The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) announced that the construction of the new extension of the South Luzon Expressway Toll road 4 (SLEX-TR4) has already started.
The said SLEX extension will stretch out from Santo Tomas, Batangas to Lucena City, Quezon Province.
According to the DPWH, travel time from Manila to provinces in the south including Batangas, Quezon, and even the Bicol Region would be reduced by up to 3 hours once the construction of the extension is complete.
The extension, which is expected to cost around P13.1 billion, is part of the government’s Build Build Build infrastructure project.
“During rush hour, motorists have to endure a long four-hour drive due to the lengthy and busy Daang Maharlika between Santo Tomas, Batangas, to Lucena City, Quezon. This will only take an hour once TR4 is completed,” DPWH secretary Mark Villar said in a statement.
San Miguel Corporation president Ramon S. Ang was one of the people who led the groundbreaking of SLEX-TR4. He said that he’s confident that the road extension will be completed in 3 years.
“In 36 months, I am confident we will be back to inaugurate the finished expressway. Under the leadership of President Duterte and Secretary Villar, the TR4 project has become a reality. Masaya kami na makasama kayong lahat sa araw na ito. With this new toll road comes progress. New businesses will emerge and bring growth to the level of small towns and barangays,” Ang said.
Ang estimated that there will be around 17,000 vehicles which will pass through the toll road everyday once it is open for public use.
SLEX-TR4 will be a four-lane toll road with a total of seven interchanges in Santo Tomas, Batangas; Makban and San Pablo City in Laguna; and Tiaong, Candelaria, Tayabas, and Lucena City in Quezon Province.
